Critics blast top cop's Thaksin trip

National police chief Priewpan Damapong has come under fire after leaving the country to meet fugitive former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra in Hong Kong.

Priewpan: Flew to HK for Thaksin’s birthday

Anti-Thaksin critics said Pol Gen Priewpan either breached the law or seriously violated professional ethics in failing to arrest the former leader.
As national police chief, Pol Gen Priewpan had to arrest Thaksin when he met him, they claimed.
Thaksin is in self-imposed exile to escape a two-year prison term for helping his wife purchase a plot of state land in Bangkok during his stint as premier.

Deputy Prime Minister Chalerm Yubamrung Wednesday responded to the criticism saying he did not think Pol Gen Priewpan violated any law by meeting his former brother-in-law, who is celebrating his 63rd birthday in Hong Kong today.

"Why was it inappropriate?" Mr Chalerm shot back when asked to comment by reporters.

He said Pol Gen Priewpan had taken leave to travel to Hong Kong, and could not be considered to have failed to perform his duty because the national police chief had no duties to perform overseas.

"Our laws do not apply in Hong Kong," Mr Chalerm said.
"The point of dereliction of duty will apply when there is a duty to do. If that happens in Thailand, it can be considered as dereliction of duty."

Asked if he was planning to take disciplinary action against Pol Gen Priewpan, Mr Chalerm said he would not take any such action.

"I will only ask what the [ex-] brothers [in-law] discussed," he said, adding those who criticised the government never looked at things positively.

Pol Gen Priewpan left for Hong Kong from Suvarnabhumi airport on Tuesday morning to extend his birthday wishes to Thaksin.

He reportedly took leave of duty on Tuesday to make the trip.

Pol Gen Priewpan told reporters he had only accepted Thaksin's invitation and they had no special issues to discuss.

Wanchai Sornsiri, a senator and an executive member of the Lawyers Council of Thailand, commented that Pol Gen Priewpan did not commit any wrongdoing by meeting Thaksin abroad.

He said the national police chief was duty-bound to arrest a violator of the law with an outstanding arrest warrant against him, but if the violator was in another country a Thai arrest warrant could not be applied.

Authorities would instead have to use diplomatic channels to seek extradition from overseas.

However, the senator questioned Pol Gen Priewpan's professional ethics.

"Although travelling to meet Thaksin does not violate the law, it shows a disregard for ethics and this is a serious problem for a government official. This is very much inappropriate," Mr Wanchai said.

Opposition and Democrat Party leader Abhisit Vejjajiva also questioned the meeting.

"How did the national police chief have a friendly meeting with a fugitive who is fleeing an arrest warrant? They are relatives, but as the police chief he must think about the country before personal interest," he said.

In 2008, the Supreme Court's Criminal Division for Political Office Holders sentenced Thaksin to two years in prison for helping his former wife Khunying Potjaman na Pombejra buy prime state land in the Ratchadaphisek area of Bangkok when he was prime minister in 2003.

Thaksin fled the country after receiving bail to attend the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics just before the court handed down its sentence.

Pol Gen Priewpan is an elder brother of Khunying Potjaman. He will retire on Sept 30.

There are rumours that he has been approached to take up a deputy prime minister portfolio in the Pheu Thai government in a cabinet reshuffle expected soon.

Pol Gen Priewpan has denied the rumour. However, he earlier said that if he was to take a political position, he would like to be responsible for narcotic suppression work only.

Ramadan attacks continue

photographers show the damage done at the back of the CS Pattani Hotel in the second car bomb attack against the luxury hotel in four years.
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The second car bomb attack in four years has again damaged the luxury CS Pattani Hotel and wounded three people.

The 7:15pm blast caused a fire that burned up to the seventh flood. It caused unknown damage but caused on further casualties.

Police evacuated the hotel and explosives experts jammed all mobile phone signals in the city centre in case of more attempts to set off bombs.

Police estimated that the bomb was a 10kg device hidden in a pickup truck parked behind the CS Pattani.

The explosion was large enough to blow out a nearby power transformer, plunging most of Pattani into darkness.

A second bomb was heard a few minutes after the car bomb, apparently in the Paknam area of the city.

The hotel was attacked in 2008 by car bombers, killing three people and wounding 10 others.

Authorities remain tight-lipped over RMC student's death

The Fourth Former of the Royal Military College (RMC) who was found hanging from a metal beam at his dormitory on Monday was facing punishment for alleged indiscipline.

The New Straits Times learnt that Darshan Sathian, 16, a first-year student from the ‘Delta Company’ of the college at the Sungai Besi camp had been recently reprimanded by the college administration and was believed to have suffered duress in the past few days.

It was also learnt that investigators were told that Darshan had confided in several of his college mates that he feared facing the punishment.

Police and provost marshals did not find any suicide note but were investigating the circumstances that led to his death, officials who spoke on condition of anonymity, told the New Straits Times.

Darshan’s death has rattled students, teachers, administrators and parents.

His remains were claimed by his family from the Hospital University Kebangsaan Malaysia mortuary in Cheras yesterday and taken back to his hometown in Skudai, Johor.

The authorities and college administrators were tight-lipped in view of the negative publicity against one of the country’s foremost educational institutions, which just last month celebrated its 60th anniversary.

Students of RMC are known as ‘budak” or ‘puteras’ and their alumni, the Old Puteras Association, boasts of prominent service chiefs in the Armed Forces, civil service, politics and the corporate world.

Two years ago, Fourth Former Mohammad Naim Mustaqim Mohamad Sobri was murdered by his college seniors in a ragging session.

Five Fifth Formers were hauled up with one later expelled. The college commandant was also replaced.

Initial investigations revealed that one of the suspects had allegedly kicked Naim in the abdomen while he was doing push-ups. The victim collapsed shortly after and died without regaining consciousness.

Qidong remains on high alert following violent weekend protests

Protesters in Qidong city on Saturday
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Tensions in Qidong, Jiangsu province, remain high following Saturday's mass demonstration, despite the local government promising to cancel plans of building a waste pipeline to the East China Sea.

Thousands of locals surrounded Qidong government offices on Saturday morning as protestors clashed with police, leading to scores of injuries and even rumors of at least two deaths. Hundreds of armed police from Nantong, which administers Qidong, were despatched to the area in an effort to suppress the growing violence and looting of government offices.

The number of demonstrators varied widely from source to source. Chinese netizens claimed there were as many as 100,000 protestors, while France's AFP reported around 50,000 participants. Official Chinese media said roughly 10,000 people took part.

The Qidong government eventually relented and promised to abandon its plans of building a 100 km pipeline from a city factory run by Japan's Oji Paper Co that would have pumped up to 150,000 tons of waste per day to China's east coast.

On Sunday, despite reports that the city has returned to normal, there were still large numbers of armed police standing guard near government office buildings, according to Hong Kong's Ming Pao newspaper. Security in the area remains tight: public security officials have reportedly blocked off roads and only authorized personnel were allowed to enter the restricted zone.

Mobile phone and internet access, which were allegedly intentionally disrupted during the demonstrations, remain unstable, the paper added. There have also been reports that local officials have been calling homes to recommend that people stay home for the day.

According to Boxun, an anonymously sourced Chinese-language citizen journalism site, groups of protestors remain camped out at a local public square and were intent on continuing protests until Monday.

The ongoing discontent supposedly stems from reports from Japanese media that waste from Oji's paper factory has been dumped directly into the Yangtze river since last year, reports our Chinese-language sister paper China Times. The waste travels downstream into dams supplying water to Shanghai, an arrangement the government has deliberately hidden from locals, the paper added.

Microblog posts related that the allegations have reportedly been censored by the government.

Meanwhile, Oji has recommenced operations but says it is currently unsure of how to manage its waste without the now-canceled pipeline, reports Japan's Asahi Shimbun. According to the paper, the construction of the waste pipe was a promise the Nantong government made to Oji when inviting foreign investment in China.

Hong Kong students protest Beijing's 'brainwashing'

Anti-Communist Party slogans on the umbrella of a protester in Hong Kong.
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A rally organized by the Hong Kong Professional Teacher's Union took place on July 29 to protest the "patriotic education" in school textbooks introduced by the education bureau of the city, reports the Hong Kong-based Oriental Daily News.

The teacher's union claimed about 90,000 people took part in the rally, though the police estimate was about 32,000. The demonstration opposed the introduction of a school curriculum favoring the Communist Party's account of China's history and political system. The government of Hong Kong plans to introduce the new textbooks to state-run primary schools in September this year and to secondary schools from 2013 in a bid to foster a sense of Chinese identity and nationalism among Hong Kong's students.

Wong Hak-lim, vice-president of the Hong Kong Professional Teacher's Union said that the protest movement will not end until the the chief executive of the special administrative region, Leung Chun-ying, promises to abandon the entire "patriotic education" plan. If the government insists on introducing such textbooks to Hong Kong, a student strike may be launched by the union.

The demonstrators on Sunday included both students and their guardians, who believe that the new curriculum is a form of thought control imposed by the central government to brainwash the younger generation of Hong Kong citizens. The latest rally is the second major demonstration in a month since Leung Chun-ying took office on July 1, the anniversary of the city's return to China and a day which sees demonstrations every year against the central government in Beijing. Many in Hong Kong believe the new pro-Beijing chief executive that Leung is secretly a member of the Communist Party.

The Southern Metropolis Daily in Guangdong stuck its neck out in order to cover the demonstration.

While explaining the policy of Hong Kong's education bureau, it also praised the protesters for being peaceful and rational.

The government of Hong Kong has claimed that each school or even teacher is free to decide which textbooks they wish going to use, saying the "patriotic education" will not be imposed on the citizens of Hong Kong by force. Many local citizens are clearly not convinced.

House husband: Yunnan woman hid lover in attic for 24 years

Wang Xin, left, sits in the courtyard for the first time in over two decades.
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"To tell you the truth, I've had a man hidden in my house for a long time," Zhang Ling, a 59-year-old woman from Zhaotong in southwest China's Yunnan province recently told local police.

Zhang's story is not as sinister as it sounds. She says that 24 years ago she decided to run away with her lover Wang Xin, a married man, but they were afraid they could be arrested for adultery or bigamy and both sent to jail. Wang Xin began living a secret life in hiding at Zhang's home. The couple hopes that now their secret has been revealed, they can be issued a marriage certificate and live their lives in the open, according to our Chinese-language sister newspaper Want Daily.
In June, Xiao Jifen, a police officer in Zhaotong, found Zhang Ling with a broken leg and sent her to hospital for treatment, reports Life News, a newspaper in the provincial capital Kunming. Xiao helped

Zhang raise 2,450 yuan (US$385) for her medical treatment and also bought 200kg of rice for 1,000 yuan (US$160) to help out further.

Zhang was touched by Xiao's generous spirit and told him, "You've been too good to me. I won't feel at ease unless I tell you a secret." Then she revealed the secret she had kept for 24 years.

Over the last two and a half decades, Wang Xin's only window to the world was through Zhang, books and television. Living in the attic, he took care of the housework while Zhang was out at work.

Both feel relieved that their secret has finally been revealed. They say their biggest wish is to apply for a marriage certificate, take wedding photos and become a legally married couple. Any charges related to adultery or bigamy have reportedly passed the statute of limitations.

Model protests Taiwan flag removal with naked photos

The model's surname, Huang, is also Chinese for "pornographic."

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The original photo posted on Huang Shih-ting's Facebook page.
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A Taiwanese model has shot to fame after posting a semi-naked photo of herself with a strategically placed national flag following the controversy at the Olympic Games in London, reports our Chinese-language sister paper China Times.

Huang Shih-ting, a 23-year-old model based in Hsinchu in northern Taiwan, decided to show her support for her country after the flag of the Republic of China — the official name of Taiwan — was removed from a row of national flags raised over Regent Street in central London on July 24. The flag was replaced with that of Taiwan's Olympic committee a few days later, almost certainly due to political pressure from Beijing.

Infuriated by the incident, Huang, who has worked as a professional model and has starred in music videos, asked a photographer friend to take a provocative photo of her in a bikini top and a Taiwanese national flag covering her lower half. The photo, posted on her Facebook page on July 25 with the caption "I love Taiwan," went viral almost instantly and has been shared thousands of times.

Huang has posed for an even more explicit set of photos with the Taiwanese flag since rising to stardom. This time, she is completely naked, with only flags and shadows covering her modesty.

 The five Olympic rings can be seen slightly above her breasts along with the words "Go Taiwan" written in Chinese.

Huang's steamy photos have polarized netizens. Some — predominantly male internet users — have commented positively on her patriotism. A number of Taiwanese netizens have even jokingly said that the photos have forced them to support the decision to take down the ROC flag in London.

On the other hand, Huang has also been criticized for being an attention seeker, with some claiming that she has disrespected the national flag.

Taiwan government cuts 2012 GDP growth target to 2.08%

Taiwan's government has cut its official forecast for the country's GDP growth in 2012 to 2.08%, from a previous estimate of 3.03%, amid a weakening global economy.

Taiwan's economic growth contracted 0.16% in the second quarter from the same period a year earlier, below an earlier estimate of a year-on-year 0.77% increase, the Directorate General of Budget,
Accounting and Statistics said Tuesday.

The department said the consumer price index for 2012 is expected to rise 1.9%, up from an earlier forecast of a 1.84% increase.

The previous forecasts were made in May.

Massive local investments in China raise eyebrows

Guizhou plans to spend 3 trillion yuan in investment projects over the next five years.
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The slowdown in economic growth and the Chinese central government's instructions on maintaining stable growth have set the stage for a series of enormous investment projects headed up by local administrations around the country.


There were already questions as to whether such heavy spending is the proper course for stimulating the economy and where the astronomical investment capital will come from.

Ningbo, a coastal city south of Shanghai, on July 16 unveiled a 26-item economic stimulus program to "push forward stable economic growth and structural transitions" by expanding investments, innovating technologies, and cutting taxes and fees. The move immediately prompted many to speculate that some other local governments would follow suit to announce their own strategies based on respective local economic situations, reported International Finance News, an affiliate of the state-run People's Daily.

As expected, the Jiangsu capital Nanjing went public one week later with a plan "to further spur domestic needs in order to pull up consumption" covering 10 fields like investments, real estate consumption, vehicle purchases, travel and leisure activities, education, health, culture, sports and entertainment.

On July 26, Changsha, the capital of Hunan province, announced an injection of 829.2 billion yuan (US$130 billion) into 195 projects in five years starting from this year, averaging 160 billion yuan (US$25 billion) each year.


Of the projected investment capital, 374.8 billion yuan (US$57.8 billion) will be used to build 10 core townships, 10 infrastructure projects including transport systems, 10 film-production districts, and 10 industrial development projects.

The International Finance News said there were also reports that southern Guizhou, a comparatively poor province, is set to announce in August investment plans totaling 3 trillion yuan (US$470 billion) covering 260 projects selected from 2,382 proposals submitted by city and county administrations.

They include 10 national-level grand projects, 50 provincial-level major plans, and 200 provincial-level special projects mainly in the ecological travel sector.

If Guizhou's investment figures are true as reported by the media, the planned total capital injection will exceed the past central government stimulus program coping with the international financial crisis in 2008 to become "the local version of the 4 trillion yuan (US$627 billion) capital spending program," said some commentators who hold mixed views on the spending sprees in the wild horse race among local administrations.

Many questioned how the local governments can raise the necessary investment funds when their tax revenues are decreasing because of economic slowdown.

Lang Xianping, a well-known economist, compared this to giving a life-saving shot to a terminally ill patient for temporary stimulus before they lapse into a worse condition than they were before. This time, the people would be holding the huge debt bag.

Ma Guangyuan, another economist, also said using "stable growth" as a smoke screen to roll out long lists of investments and exhibit their administrative performance is more dangerous than economic slowdown itself because lots of debts will be left to banks and future generations.

Business and commerce professor Song Songxing at Nanjing University said the previous four trillion yuan (US$630 billion) capital injection by the central government did yield some negative aftereffects.

However, the government should not abstain from making investments for fear of causing problems.

Massively boosting consumption is unrealistic, but gradually making investment to conduct effective investment and induce consumption remains a better option to achieve stable growth, he said.

The investment plans unveiled so far show that local governments seem to be focusing on their specific local needs and readjusting industrial structures in their regions, he added.

Professor Sun Lijian at Fudan University in Shanghai observed that the central government dictated the four trillion yuan spending plans in 2008 and let local governments carry them out. But the local administrations are now seizing the initiative this time and should be able to formulate and implement policies meeting their own specific needs. He suggested that local governments only guide the direction, provide tax incentives, and ensure an environment with fair competition. But they must refrain from deep involvement so that enterprises in the private sector can fully exert dynamic power, he said.

Kuang Xianming, director of economic research at the China Institute for Reform and Development, said the local administrations could seek loans from banks or raise funds via local bonds. But Sun said this could raise future financial risks and the best way is to attract and encourage companies to take the leading role to tackle the problems.

Song commented that there is no shortage of investment capital in China, but he key lies in how to make the best allocation of financial sources to lead capital to the correct investment directions.

7 Ways to Retire with $1 Million

Many workers will be able to accumulate $1 million over the course of their career if they save consistently beginning at a young age, invest prudently, and avoid withdrawing money early. It helps, of course, to sidestep fees, taxes, and penalties along the way whenever possible. Here's what it takes to become a millionaire by retirement:

Start saving by age 25. It's difficult to start saving for retirement when your entry-level salary barely covers your student-loan payments. But beginning to build a nest egg during your first job is the most painless way to become a millionaire by retirement. "The more time you have, the less you have to save each year since you have longer to accumulate," says Kim Morton, a certified financial planner for Sensible Money in Scottsdale, Ariz. If you start saving for retirement at age 25, you only have to save about $4,830 annually to reach $1 million by age 65, assuming an annual return of 7 percent after fees.

If you wait until age 40 to start saving, you'll need to tuck away much more: $15,240 per year, assuming the same retirement age and annual return. Alternatively, you could start out saving slightly less and boost your savings rate as you receive raises and bonuses. "A 20-year-old may only be able to save $100 per month, but the exercise of saving $100 per month when you are 20 will make it easier for you to go to $200 a month when you are 25 or 30," says William Valentine, a financial planner and founder of Valentine Ventures in Bend, Ore. "The act of saving is like developing a muscle, and if you start early with small amounts, you will build the saving muscle."


Select low-cost investments. Fees incurred through your 401(k) plan will cut into your investment returns. A 401(k) contribution of about $7,795 per year over 35 years will get you to $1 million, assuming a 7 percent annual return and fees and expenses of 0.5 percent. However, if your fees are 1 percent higher (1.5 percent total), you will need to save $9,690 per year to become a millionaire over 35 years, or about $1,895 extra per year to make up for the higher fees. "If I have the choice of two mutual funds that have the same characteristics, but one has [an expense ratio] of 1.5 percent, but the other [charges] 0.5 percent, by using the fund with an expense ratio of 0.5 percent, it is like saying, 'Here is your extra 1 percent of returns each year'," says Morton. "Simply put, the less money you put in somebody else's pocket when it comes to fees, taxes, and penalties, the more money you will have in yours."

Get a match. A 401(k) match will help you become a millionaire significantly faster than you could on your own. If you get an annual $1,500 401(k) match from your employer, you can save $1 million by contributing just $5,475 annually to a 401(k) plan for 35 years, assuming a 7 percent annual return after fees, versus $6,975 annually without the match. But pay attention to your employer's vesting schedule for the retirement plan. Until you are fully invested in the plan, you may not get to keep employer contributions to your retirement account. In some cases, you might need to remain with an employer for five or six years until you can keep your 401(k) match.


Mind retirement benefit gaps. Saving for retirement becomes much more difficult when people change jobs, get laid off, and take time out of the workforce. And when you get your next job, there may be a waiting period before you can join the 401(k) plan or get a 401(k) match. To keep your retirement plan on track, you might need to save in an IRA or a taxable investment account until you become eligible for a new retirement plan at work. "Try to save equally outside of work what you would do at work," says Valentine. If that's not possible, you might need to save extra in advance of or after a retirement savings break.


No early withdrawals. One of the biggest obstacles to reaching $1 million is taking money out of your 401(k) before retirement. Whenever you withdraw money from a 401(k) account, you will have to pay income tax on the amount withdrawn. Those who withdraw money before age 59½ are also generally charged a 10 percent early withdrawal penalty. For example, if you withdraw $10,000 from your 401(k) plan at age 40 and are in the 25-percent tax bracket, you will forfeit $3,500 of that amount in taxes and penalties. Your money will grow faster if you avoid the early withdrawal penalty and defer tax on your savings until retirement. Avoid cashing out your 401(k) when you change jobs by rolling the money into an IRA or your new employer's 401(k) plan, or even leaving it in your old 401(k). An emergency fund outside of your retirement account will give you a financial cushion so that you don't have to dip into your retirement savings for unexpected expenses.


Balance safety with growth. Unless you have significant investment expertise, your 401(k) portfolio probably won't outperform the stock market every single year. Most people should aim to capture the average growth of the stock market. "Return does not mean trying to get some crazy 20 percent return each year because somebody told you that it's possible," says Morton. "Return means that there is going to be some type of average market return and that the longer you have your money invested, the closer you are going to get to that average return." Once you start to accumulate a significant account balance, you need to protect it with a reasonable investment strategy that includes a mix of stocks, bonds, and cash that is appropriate for your risk tolerance.


Boost savings once your kids are independent. Once your children are finished with college and support themselves, you will have a newfound ability to tuck money away for retirement. "Usually people don't have a lot of money when the children are in school. You usually find that the period of time in your 50s and your mid-60s is when you are really putting away a lot of money," says Harold Anderson, a certified financial planner and president of Parkshore Wealth Management in Roseville, Calif. "I think if each member of a couple is putting $22,500 in a 401(k) and investing it in a reasonable manner, they could probably have a pretty good shot at getting close to a million."

10 Most Common Personal Finance Mistakes

All of us are guilty of a few bad financial habits, and most of us share a few. When financial advisors first meet with clients, they usually find a familiar set of money-losing miscues, from checking credit reports too infrequently (or not at all), paying too much for insurance, or buying stocks for the wrong reasons.

Rarely are any of these bad habits alone enough to sink us. But taken together over time, these small leaks in our financial ship rob us of amounts we’d never stand for losing all at once.

We asked several financial advisors to name the most common personal finance mistakes they find, and provide solutions to each. The good news is that some of the most frequently made missteps are also the most preventable.

1) Overpaying for Home Insurance

Odds are the premium on your homeowner’s insurance is too high. In a recent survey by insurance provider ACE Private Risk Services, 78 percent of independent insurance agents said homeowners are overpaying for their house insurance.

What to do: Hike your deductible. By raising the amount you pay in the event of a mishap, you let the insurer off the hook for part of the cost and, in turn, lower your premium. “If a home is insured for $1 million and the owner who pays a $500 deductible raises that to $2,500, they can save $900 a year in premium savings,” said David Spencer, vice president of ACE private risk services.

2) Putting Off Buying Life or Health Insurance

You’re healthy, so you don’t think you need to insure yourself against sickness, injury, or death. The older you get, however, the more expensive insurance gets.

What to do: Start paying now and you’ll pay less. “The sooner you buy, the better off you are,” says Suzanna de Baca, vice president of wealth strategies at Ameriprise Financial. If you get insured at age 25, instead of waiting until you’re feeling mortal at 55, de Baca says, you can save up to $10,000 across those three decades.

3) Underestimating Health-Care Costs

Sooner or later, most Americans are taken surprise by a high co-pay charge, or prescription fee. This only gets more common — and more scary — as you grow older.

What to do: According to Fidelity, retired couples need an average of $10,750 per year to cover out-of-pocket medical expenses. This is 4 percent more than those who retired a year ago. When computing what you need for retirement, plan accordingly. Increase your contributions to your 401(k) or other workplace savings plans. If you have already maxed out your workplace savings plan, save additional money in an IRA.

4) Passing Up Tax Breaks

Small investors often look only at the return an instrument is giving them, and overlook how taxes take a bite out of those returns. Morningstar figures that over the 74-year period ending in 2010, investors who did not manage investments in a tax-sensitive manner gave up between one and two percentage points of their annual returns to taxes.

What to do: First, take a look at which of your investments are taxable, tax deferred, or tax-free, says John Sweeney, executive vice-president of Fidelity’s Planning and Advisory Services, and plan to commit some ordinary income to tax-deferred accounts, such as defined contribution plans such as 401(k)s or traditional IRAs and annuities.

When buying and selling stocks that pay dividends, or managing your mutual funds, bone up on tax rules about qualified dividends — those paid on stocks that you’ve held for 60 days or more within prescribed windows that qualify the dividends to be taxed as capital gains. Selling stocks even a day to soon can result in paying tax on dividends as ordinary income, costing you 10 percent or more.

5) Paying Late Fees
Are you paying late fees, even though you keep up with your bills? Late fees not only add to expenses, they can negatively impact your credit score.

What to do: Mounting late fees are usually the result of due dates that are scattered throughout the month without regard to any rational schedule. You simply need to align your due dates.

Call your credit-card companies, utilities, and other service providers and ask to have your due dates changed to your paydays, when you have money available. Most companies have two billing cycles a month, and will gladly accommodate your request to switch to the one that makes sense for you, says online account manager Manilla.com. Next, create a monthly bill reminder calendar that works for you and pick one or two days during the month to pay all of your bills.

6) Buying Stocks by Their Brand

Small investors often buy stock because they have a good experience with the company. This makes perfect sense, but make sure to ask yourself what it is you like: Is it the product or the service? Or something less bankable, such as the image of the brand? Going with your gut without doing your homework can lose you money in a hurry.

What to do: Image counts, but price and valuation matter more, says Brian Gendreau, market strategist for Cetera Financial Group. “Investors who buy stocks without regard to price often find themselves with dead money for years to come.”

Gendreau suggests you check out the price-earnings ratio, or P/E, one of the main metrics analysts use to compare values between companies. Many financial sites (including CNBC.com) calculate the P/E ratio for you, but you can do it yourself by dividing a stock’s current share price by its earnings per share. If the number is high relative to other stocks in the same sector (like retail or technology), what you’re buying may be too expensive, relative to other companies.

7) Investing Too Conservatively

A recent Fidelity study found that many young investors have low (or even no) stock exposure in their portfolio. This is understandable, given the ill treatment the stock market has been dealing out in the past few years. The thing about no risk, though, is there’s no reward. The financial system is pretty much built on it.

What to do: Make the most of the years you have ahead to grow wealth. Consider increasing your stock exposure or you “may hinder the portfolio growth opportunities needed over time,” according to Fidelity’s John Sweeney.

Of course, your age, retirement goals, financial situation, and tolerance for risk should guide your decisions, as well. But consider: An aggressive mix of 83 percent stocks (foreign and domestic) and 17 percent bonds growing at an annual rate of return of 8.35 percent will earn $350 a month more than an asset allocation of 50 percent stocks, 40 percent bonds, and 10 percent cash.

8) Paying Retail

Though not an investment snafu, paying full price on purchases can be a big drain on your finances. In today’s digital age, there are many tools available to help consumers make better buying decisions.

What to do: Make savvy comparisons. Websites and mobile apps like Red Laser, PriceGrabber, and NextTag find retailers with the best prices, according to Trae Bodge, senior editor for RetailMeNot.com.

Next, become a coupon cutter. You can find discounts online for everything from apparel to conference registrations via coupon code websites such as Bodge’s RetailMeNot.com. As for fashionistas, two words: flash sale. With sites out there like Belle & Clive, which sells designer brands at a discount, there really is no reason to pay full price.

9) Leaving Valuables Uninsured

Lately wine, art, and gold have become favorite investments, especially for high-earners. But according to insurer ACE Private Risk Services, nearly 40 percent of high-net-worth individuals don’t have their collections insured with a valuables policy.

What to do: Have your items appraised and shop around for insurance that fits your collection. If you already have insurance, consider whether you need an update. As your collection appreciates, its value may have outpaced the coverage you have on it, leaving you underinsured.

10) Not Checking Your Credit Score

We know you’ve heard it before, but if you don’t check your credit report at least three times a year, you may be leaving fraudulent charges undetected. Credit card companies, mortgage underwriters, or auto lenders could have a much different picture of you than you think. If they erroneously think you’re high-risk, they’ll charge you more to borrow.

What to do: Request a free credit report online from one of the three credit rating agencies — Equifax, Experian, or Transunion. Each is required to provide you with a free report once a year. Flag any unexpected changes to your report, such as loans you don’t remember, and report any discrepancies to the credit rating agencies. Don’t dismiss any odd item, no matter how small the amount — some thieves test your awareness with a small purchase to see if you notice, according to Manilla.com. A few months later, check again using another of the agencies.

Q2 Earnings Season: It’s the Revenue, Stupid!

If you were to sum up the key theme emerging from second quarter earnings season with one phrase, it'd have to be: "It's the revenue, stupid!"

That's because compared to earnings, which have been seen 72% of companies beating consensus, the sales side has been a huge disappointment.

"However, on the revenue side, we've seen a very weak earnings season," says John Butters, Senior Earnings Analyst at FactSet. "Only 42% of companies have beat revenue estimates so far, well below an average of 60% from the last four years. And if this trend continues through the balance of the season," Butters explains in the the attached video, "it will mark the worst quarter for positive sales surprises in over three years."

Whether it's Coca-Cola (KO), McDonald's (MCD), Procter & Gamble (PG), or even Apple (AAPL), not only is the revenue-disappointment list full of notable names, but it's also growing. It begs the question: why is this happening, and what does it mean for the markets?

Butters says there are three reasons that stand out as to why so many companies are struggling with sales: difficult foreign exchange rate (mostly from a strong dollar), general economic weakness in Europe, and slower growth in China. While this trio of excuses will seem obvious to many investors, the collective impact they have on confidence — and even more so on guidance — is more pronounced.

Two more trends have caught the eye of this Boston-based earnings expert. First, there are rising costs.

Butters says about 100 companies have, so far, posted higher revenue growth than earnings growth, citing Nike (NKE) as an example.

The second trend he's monitoring is the ratio of negative-to-positive pre-announcements, which is running about three-to-one, up from a longer-term average of two-to-one. And when companies speak or give guidance, analysts react.

"For the third quarter, the rate has gone from 1.5% to -1.3%," Butters reveals, adding that the fourth quarter growth has slid, as well. "We came in at 14% and are now down to 11%."

Butters points out that multi-nationals, like those that make up the Dow Jones Industrial Average, have been particularly susceptible, where only 35% of companies have beat revenue expectations.

Dow 20K by 2022: ‘The World Is Not Going to End Tomorrow,’ Strategist Says

There are several key events happening this week that could make or break the markets. The Federal Reserve's policy-making arm meets Tuesday and Wednesday and an announcement (or hint) of more stimulus, or quantitative easing, could lift major indexes higher. Investors are widely expecting Fed officials to take more action to boost the sluggish economy. The European Central Bank and the Bank of England will also publish their decisions on interest rates and ECB President Mario Draghi will be expected to give more clarity to statements he made last week when he said the central bank is prepared to do "whatever it takes to preserve the euro zone."

More corporate earnings reports, North American July auto sales, the S&P/Case-Shiller Home Price Index and same-store retail sales will also give investors additional data to chew this week and could determine how the markets will end the month. The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJI) and S&P 500 Index (GSPC) both ended last week in positive territory after a shaky trading start and each index is up more than 1.5 percent in July. Year to date, the Dow has gained 7.02 percent and the S&P has risen 10.21 percent.

With six months left until the end of the year, there are still significant headwinds that could reverse the markets' upward trajectory. A resolution to the 3-year European debt crisis may not happen until next year and the looming fiscal cliff in the U.S. and the November presidential election have investors and corporations on edge. Money from around the globe has poured into U.S. Treasuries, cementing the U.S. as a safe-haven but sending Treasury yields to all-time lows.

Investors, many of who are still reluctant to buy stocks after the 2008 financial crisis, have become risk-averse and continue to choose cash and bonds over equities. This behavior will cause many investors to miss out on big returns that will be coming over the next decade, according to Bernstein Global Wealth Management's Seth Masters.

"We're in the middle of a huge safety bubble where people are so interested in short-term safety that they're eager to buy 10-year government bonds that yield 1.5 percent in the U.S. and that is extraordinarily strange and unusual," Masters says in the accompanying video. "What's happened is that people have become so fearful in the present about the risk of loss from equities but they're forgetting about the other risk of investing: they might run out of money."

Masters says market volatility will persist in the near future but it won't be enough stop the Dow from hitting 20,000 in 10 years (or the S&P 500 touching 2,000 in the same time frame), which Masters argues is not an overly optimistic position. He projects global and U.S. stock markets will return about 8 percent over the next decade, a conservative rate but one that would still push the Dow above 20,000.

Masters emphasizes that his projections are well below the long-term average for U.S. and global equities. As for valuations, Masters says stocks are "very very cheap" relative to long-term and current interest rates and therefore "it doesn't take that much for stocks to deliver good returns."

Masters tells his clients to tune out the financial and economic headlines and resist the urge to pour all their money into bonds.

"The key problem today is that fear has become so preeminent that it's trumping really common sense — and the common sense is the world is not going to end tomorrow," he says.

Syria's Chemical Weapons, and Beyond

A few days after the new Department of Defense strategic guidance was unveiled early this year, news reports said CENTCOM estimated that securing Syrian chemical weapons in the event of regime collapse could require some 75,000 troops. If such missions are likely and will actually require such large commitments, it raises the question of whether the mission of countering weapons of mass destruction (WMD) ought to be considered more thoroughly in determining the overall capacity of the force.

While not as deadly on a scale comparable to nuclear weapons, chemical weapons are considered weapons of mass destruction for good reason. Moreover, the list of states known or suspected to have chemical weapons includes those that have adversarial relations with the United States, are not members of the 1993 Chemical Weapons Convention and, as the events in Syria have shown, are susceptible to collapse and civil strife. In these cases, chemical weapons remain a consideration that can affect both the size and timelines of military operations.

Operations at the end of the First Gulf War provide a sense of the scale of the chemical weapon problem. The U.N. Special Commission supervised the destruction of tens of thousands of filled and unfilled chemical munitions, 295 metric tons of mustard gas, and 116 metric tons of tabun and sarin nerve gases. Even with Iraqi cooperation of a grudging sort, finding, collecting, and destroying these items took years.

For Saddam's Iraq, today's Syria, and other nations that have envisaged waging tactical chemical warfare, one has to think in industrial-scale terms. The chemical stocks are likely measured in hundreds of tons, distributed to multiple sites for strategic and safety reasons, and protected by units particularly loyal to the regime. Disposing of them is likely to require industrial-scale destruction operations that would require industrial facilities and time.

The urgency of securing such materials during operations was highlighted by an incident in the second Iraq War.

In October 2004, the interim Iraqi government reported that nearly 400 tons of high-quality explosives under International Atomic Energy Agency supervision prior to the U.S. invasion had vanished from an industrial facility at Al Qa'qaa during the American occupation. In 2003, the Al-Qa'qaa industrial area covered about 28 square kilometers (10.8 square miles) with more than 1,000 structures engaged in multiple military-related activities. Within the facility, the IAEA had identified and secured with its seals bunkers that contained about 195 metric tons of HMX, 141 metric tons of RDX, and 5.8 metric tons of PETN - all high-grade military explosives with dual-use potential for explosive compression in a nuclear device (which was why they had been under IAEA supervision).

American forces fought through the area in the first week of April 2003, dispersing whatever Iraqi forces had guarded the facility. The site was unguarded until the 75th Exploitation Task Force arrived at the end of May. In the intervening weeks, the explosives, along with virtually everything else of value in the facility, had disappeared with successive waves of looters - many of whom arrived with cranes and trucks. Quite possibly, the looters were insiders who knew what they were taking and exactly who might be interested in high-quality, dual-use explosives.

The lesson: Only an adequately sized, fast-arriving security force able to protect themselves could have prevented the most grievous losses. And while explosives may be identifiable by their storage (and IAEA seals) without special training, more ambiguous materials in other settings would require experts to distinguish the relevant from the mass, and specialist units to safely handle the materials. The personnel required, as in the reported CENTCOM estimate of 75,000 for Syria, would be substantial, and might be required for some time.

The worst case of letting even relatively small amounts of military-grade chemical weapons get into the wrong hands is suggested by the 1995 Tokyo subway nerve gas attacks that killed 13. The Tokyo attack was carried out with less than 10 kilograms of low purity agent and crude dispersal techniques. This was not a WMD on the scale of a nuclear weapon, but large by the standards of terrorist actions and magnified by its ability to terrify, as shown by the panicked thousands who sought treatment without having been exposed to the agent. Terrorists with military-grade materials could do much more.

There are two large implications to be drawn for such situations.

One, the potentially dire consequences of proliferation in such circumstances is an additional reason to avoid conflict. Every possible effort toward peaceful resolution and proliferation avoidance, even to the extent of offering safe passage and immunity to reprehensible characters in order to buy the safe transfer and control of such materials, is worth consideration.

Two, if conflicts are to be fought in such situations, the certainty that such materials will be present should affect the design and scale of the operation to ensure that a conflict waged to prevent nuclear proliferation does not contribute to the transfer of chemical weapons into dangerous hands. The implication of recent experience suggests this may require both more personnel and more time on the ground than we would like.

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Arab Spring Revolutions Have Not Yet Created Democracies, but Democratization Is Possible

The Arab world is the one region that has been left out of the global trend toward greater embrace of democracy, but a successful shift from authoritarian regimes to democratic governments is possible there, according to a new study from the RAND Corporation.

"Even as events in the Arab world continue to be tumultuous, policymakers need to take the long view of the democratization process," said Laurel E. Miller, lead author of the study and a senior policy analyst with RAND, a nonprofit research organization. "Past experience throughout the world shows that obstacles to democracy can be overcome. But there is no one-size-fits-all template to forming a democratic government."

Policymakers in the United States and other nations should be wary of "rules of thumb" and simplified predictions of how political change will happen in the Arab world, Miller said. Political transitions will unfold in different ways and at different speeds throughout the region. In every country, though, regime change is only the first step in a long reform process.

The RAND study explores the conditions and decisions that are most likely to influence whether democratization will succeed in the countries undergoing political transitions across the Arab world. It also identifies the main challenges to democracy in the Arab world, analyzes how other countries have made similar transitions over the last four decades, and suggests what the United States and the international community can do to support political change.

One of the biggest challenges for these nations undergoing change will be rebalancing civil-military relations, Miller said. In some countries, militaries played a large role in supporting the authoritarian regimes and continue to possess both political and economic power. As these countries make the transition to new forms of government, some militaries may agree to a shift to civilian control in exchange for certain privileges and perks, often written into new or amended constitutions.

Miller said rebalancing of civilian and military power is likely to happen only gradually in nations where the military retains enough power to thwart democratization. Easing the military out of politics will require negotiation.

Another challenge for these countries will be the inclusion of numerous political groups, including some banned by the previous regimes. Inclusion of these groups can enhance a new regime's legitimacy and help stabilize the transition.

Democratization also will test how well Islamic and secular parties can share political space, Miller said. Islamism is a distinctive feature of Arab political culture, but the parameters of political Islam in Arab countries undergoing political change have yet to be defined. Some of these countries may, like Turkey and Indonesia, develop Islamist parties that play active roles in electoral politics within democratic systems.

It is important to maximize opportunities to promote institutional reform and help democratic processes work better, Miller said. Focusing on the development of civilian democratic control over security institutions—particularly police institutions—also will be key. U.S. policymakers should recognize that the nation has less leverage in the Arab world than it did during democratic transitions in Europe and South America. However, U.S. economic assistance is more likely to provide leverage in aid-dependent countries.

Although democratic reform has lagged in the Arab world, the region does have a few hybrid regimes, including Lebanon, Kuwait and Iraq, that combine elements of democracy and authoritarianism. The Arab world also includes monarchies and, prior to the Arab Spring, several republics led by long-ruling autocrats.

Scholars have debated the reasons for the authoritarian resilience in the Arab world. But the RAND study notes that a country is not excluded from becoming a democracy because it has no past experience with democracy, is surrounded by nondemocratic countries or experiences a rocky political transition.

Nations such as Romania and Portugal, among others, illustrate that tumult early in a transition does not doom democracy if where there are sufficient countervailing forces to keep reform on track. Another example is the transition of Mongolia into a parliamentary republic in the 1990s, despite it being a poor country with no previous democratic experience and no genuinely democratic neighbors. These examples should persuade policymakers to remain open-minded about the prospects for rooting democracy in poor soil, researchers say.

Fencing controversy forces Korean to sit on piste for ages, eventually costs her medal

South Korean fencer Shin A Lam waits out the Korean protest of her loss
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The Olympic fencing tournament was thrown into an incredibly emotional, dramatic and elongated controversy when a semifinal bout of the women's individual epee competition was won on a final touch with 1 second remaining and the losing fencer launched an appeal of the decision which eventually cost her a place on the podium.
Yet it was the appeal of the decision itself which led to incredibly acrimony and one of the lengthiest delays in recent Olympic memory. Here's how everything unfolded:

With time running out in one of the two semifinal matches for the women's individual epee competition, South Korea's Shin A Lam led Germany's Britta Heidermann by a single point. Officially, Heidermann had just one second to launch an attack and score a touch, which would advance her on to the gold medal match to face the Ukraine's Yana Shemyakina, a lack of time which all but ensured that Shin would advance.
Instead, the timing mechanism on the piste became stuck, giving Heidermann extra time to complete her attack and win the bout, which earned her the spot in the gold medal bout. Officials, unsure what to do without a true, official protocol to follow, eventually decided to award the victory to Heidermann.


As one might expect, Shin and her coaches were enraged with the decision, and launched an immediate appeal. Yet the appeal itself proved to be incredibly lengthy and also contained a unique bylaw that required Shin to remain on the piste throughout its duration. Unable to leave the playing surface, Shin bawled uncontrollably for the first 10-15 minutes, often shading her head in a towel while occasionally looking out to the crowd before rubbing her eyes again.

At long last, after more than 30 minutes of a delay that included the Korean federation having to expedite a payment for the use in the official appeal, Shin's attempt to overturn the result failed. That brought a crushing end to a ridiculously long period marked by piquant discussion between Olympic and Korean officials and occasional announcements trying to explain what was going on to the spectators in the crowd.


Clearly, Shin should have had a chance for the gold medal; if the timing mechanism didn't get stuck, the clock would have run out and she would have advanced. Yet denying Heidermann a shot without some kind of a playoff-style bout might have been equally cruel.

Either way, the fencing tournament somehow ended up with an unfortunate and completely unforeseen loser which will lead to plenty of gripes and arguments going forward from multiple national federations, to be sure.

Just to rub salt in the wound, Shin was forced to come back out and fence for the bronze medal almost immediately. In that bout, after jumping out to an early lead, the Korean fell to China's Sun Yujie, who claimed the bronze by a score of 15-11.

There was little consolation for that result for Shin, particularly after she quite rightfully should have been fencing for a gold medal, a position which would have guaranteed her at least a silver. Still, throughout her bout — just as during the delay — the Korean was applauded and cheered by fans, and she earned a rapturous applause as she went and was consoled by her coach after the bronze medal defeat.

Somehow, that might not go far enough to making the Korean federation feel better about being royally worked over en route to missing out on a medal.

South Korean fencer Shin A Lam during her country's protest

Overindulging in fruits and vegetables could lead to weight gain

If you're struggling to lose those extra pounds for bikini season, you may be eating too many fruits and vegetables.

At first, it may sound absurdly counterintuitive. But a registered dietitian reminds consumers that not all fruits and vegetables are created equal, and that sometimes too much of a good thing can sabotage weight loss efforts.

At its core, weight gain fluctuates on a basic concept, explains registered dietitian Brooke Schantz of the Loyola University Health System in Maywood, Illinois: energy in versus energy out. Weight loss depends on the number of calories consumed, versus the number of calories burned off throughout the day.

And while fruit may be nutritious and full of fiber, even a healthy food can lead to weight gain when eaten in large quantities and laden with sugars, natural though they may be.

"I have had many patients tell me that they don't know why they are not losing weight," Schantz said in a statement released this week. "Then they report that they eat fruit all day long. They are almost always shocked when I advise them to watch the quantity of food they eat even if it is healthy."

Her advice comes at the height of summer, when the harvest is lining the produce aisle with ripe, seasonal berries, melons, peaches and other stone fruits.

Perhaps the only exception to her rule are nonstarchy vegetables like cucumber, broccoli and mushrooms, which are given the carte blanche for unlimited consumption.
Starchy vegetables to limit include peas, corn, and potatoes.

Accused Colorado movie theater gunman charged with multiple counts of murder

Prosecutors on Monday charged James Holmes with two dozen counts of first-degree murder and more than 100 other violent offenses related to the recent deadly rampage at a Colorado movie theater.

Holmes, who appeared in court with the same cartoonish orange-red hair he had at the time of the shooting, said only one word during Monday's hearing.

"Yes," he answered when asked by the judge if he waived his right to a preliminary hearing within 35 days.

Police say Holmes, 24, blasted his way through a packed movie house during a premiere showing of Batman "The Dark Knight Rises" in Aurora.

Twelve victims died in the attack, 58 others were wounded. The melee is among the worst mass shootings in modern-day American history. Prosecutors filed a total of 142 criminal charges against him, including 116 counts of attempted murder. The 24 murder counts reflect dual charges (premeditated and without remorse) by the prosecutors.

Malaysian cops uncover syndicate 'skimming' to buy petrol

Petrol reward cards, loyalty cards and even hotel key cards can be forged and turned into fake credit cards to buy petrol in Malaysia.

In uncovering the scam, officer in charge of police district (OCPD) Assistant Commissioner Abdul Gaffar Muhamad said any card with a magnetic strip could be turned into a credit card.

He said unscrupulous people needed only a skimmer (a portable credit card reader) and a valid credit card number, which could be easily found on discarded receipts, to make forged cards.

"Consumers are urged to be wary when throwing away their credit card receipts after pumping petrol...Please tear the receipts into pieces before disposing them," he said yesterday, adding that petrol station operators should monitor customers for any unusual transaction.

Gaffar said police arrested four suspects aged between 24 and 42 for using fake credit cards to buy 400 litres of diesel and petrol worth 720 ringgit (US$225) at separate stations in Kuala Lumpur on Sunday.

He said in the first incident at 3:30 a.m., police arrested two suspects, from Kedah and Perlis, after being notified by the station operator who suspected something was amiss.

"The suspects were trying to fill up a lorry, which had seven 1,000-litre storage containers, with diesel," he said.

Abdul Gaffar said the other suspects, both from Penang, were arrested at a nearby station several minutes later.

"We found 193 forged credit cards inside their car along with several mobile phones and a skimmer," said Gaffar.

He said all the suspects were believed to be part of a syndicate.

12 Poses to Stay Youthful Always

Whether we like it or not, we are getting on and nothing can stop ageing. Be it glowing skin or a lean body, the intention is to age gracefully. Suryanamaskar is a sequence of yoga poses that are almost universally beneficial; with benefits that counter many aspects of ageing. The 12 poses of Suryanamaskar help maintain muscles, help retain flexibility and boost metabolism. Practising Suryanamaskar either at a slow or fast pace help with digestion, soothe the nervous system and strengthen the heart. Not just that, these asanas help you feel energetic, rejuvenated and keep stress and anxiety away.

1. Namaskar Mudra: Stand straight with your feet together, hands by the side. Now, bring your palms close to your chest in namaskar mudra and breathe normally. Benefit: Pose 1 and 12 help retain balance and strenghtens your back, neck and shoulders.

2. Back bending Chakrasana: Inhale and raise your hands. Now, arch your back and stretch your arms upwards as much as you can. Once in this position, breathe normally. Benefit: Pose 2 and 11 help with digestion and tone the arms and spine. They also make back and hips more flexible.

3. Padahastasana: Exhale and bend forward. Touch your toes without bending your knees. Look downwards and breathe normally. Benefit: Pose 3 and 10 increase blood circulation and stimulate the lymphatic system. They also tone abdominal tracts.

4. Ashwa Sanchalanasana: Inhale and place your palms on the floor. Now bend your right leg (between your hands), at a 90degree angle from the floor. Stretch your left leg backwards and arch your back. Then look upwards and breathe normally. Benefit: Pose 4 and 9 help build hand and wrist muscles.

5. Santolasana: Exhale and place your right leg behind you, aligned to your left leg. Make sure your hands are aligned below, with your shoulders. Your shoulders, back and hips should be in a straight line. Once you're in this posture, breathe normally. Benefit: Pose 5 and 8 strengthen your heart and relieve shoulder ache.

6. Shashtanga Mudra: Bend your elbows, chin, chest and knees towards the floor. Tuck your elbows on the sides and close to the body. Then, raise close to the body. Then, raise your hips and breathe normally. Benefit: Pose 6 strengthens your arms and legs, increases flexibility in the neck and shoulders and helps release tension in the neck and shoulders.

7. Sarpasana: Inhale and raise your upper body up to your elbows, your chin raised upwards. Bend your shoulders backwards. Your waist should touch the floor. Breathe normally. Benefit: This asana stimulates circulation in abdominal organs, aids your digestive tract and stretches your body.

8. Parvatasana: Exhale; raise your hips pushing the upper body, keeping your heels on the floor. Keep your knees straight and face downwards-with your eyes on the navel region. Once in position, breathe normally. Benefit: See Pose 5. It stimulates blood circulation and helps strengthen arms and wrists.

9. Ashwa Sanchalanasana: Place your left leg forward, in between your hands and inhale. Now arch your back, raise your chin and keep your palms flat on the floor. Breathe normally once you are in this posture. Benefit: See Pose 4. It also exercises your spine and arms.

10. Padahastasana: Bring your left leg forward (towards your right leg), keeping your knees straight. Touch your toes while keeping your neck relaxed. Once you attain this posture, breathe normally. Benefit: See Pose 3. It also stretches your back and leg muscles.

11. Back Bending Chakrasana: Bring your palms together, inhale, raise your hands and upper body and arch your back. Breathe normally once you attain this posture. Benefit: See Pose 2. It helps tone arms and shoulders. 12. Namaskar Mudra: Come back to the starting position slowly, while exhaling. Benefit: See Pose 1. It also stimulates the respiratory system.

Surya namaskar is a sequence of yoga poses that counter the many effects of ageing. Apart from physical benefits, it helps with the digestive and nervous systems.

Spat between teen lovers turns ugly

He could not bear seeing his girlfriend with a new beau, so he stabbed her thrice. The couple, both 15--years--old, had been dating for three years.

In the 4pm incident which occurred at the ground floor of PPR Taman Dato Senu in Bandar Baru Sentul last Friday, the girl confronted her boyfriend to break up with him, as she was already seeing someone new.

Sentul district police chief, ACP Zakaria Pagan said during the confrontation, the girl's new boyfriend, also aged 15, was present.

"It started out with a quarrel, but things turned ugly when the boy suddenly took out a kitchen knife and stabbed the girl," he said.

The girl was stabbed thrice -- on her hip, abdomen and her back. Before the girl collapsed, she managed to scream for help to alert neighbours.

"The boy panicked and and went into hiding. The girl was rushed to Kuala Lumpur Hospital by her neighbours."

Zakaria said when police visited the flats, they managed to detain two of the suspect's friends who were living there. The duo led police to the suspect's house in the same area.

"The suspect's family has been notified of the incident, but since the fight the suspect has not returned home. We believe he is in hiding.

"However, the family managed to contact the suspect and pleaded with him to surrender. The suspect turned himself in at the Sentul police station on Tuesday evening," said Zakaria.

He is under a seven--day remand to facilitate investigation for causing grievous hurt with a dangerous weapon.

The victim managed to recuperate from her injuries and was discharged on Monday.

She had not been going to school for several weeks prior to the incident as she was seeking placement in a school nearby.

Chinese speculators pile in to London housing bubble

Big Ben is set to chime non-stop for three minutes to ring in the Olympic Games
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With the Olympics Games about to open in London, savvy Chinese investors have been among those speculating in the city's realty market, causing a major rise in local housing prices. House prices in the UK have risen to such levels over the last ten years that many of the younger generation cannot afford to get their foot on the property ladder and are forced to live with their parents.

With a shortage of housing and difficulty gaining mortgages, a real estate price spike in London has resulted from speculation by buyers from overseas. Signs everywhere offer houses for lease, as their buyers bought them to rent them out. Scouting missions by speculators from mainland China entered the London realty market over the last couple of years.

They are joining in a trend that has seen London's housing prices almost double over the last ten years.

Vashti Sperring, manager of John D Wood, a leading real estate agent in the British capital, reports that due to the instability of the eurozone, many with the money to do so have invested in London's realty market, notably people from China.

Another London real estate agent specified that buyers from mainland China investors are their favorite clients as they prefer to pay in cash and aren't too fussy about the price. Many Chinese clients make their purchase with a view to moving to the UK.

A report released by international real estate services organization Colliers International in March this year showed that 20% of new houses in London are bought by people from China

Jiang Zemin's grandson sets up private equity fund

Jiang Zhicheng, foreground, in Chengdu in 2010
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Jiang Zhicheng, grandson of the former Chinese president Jiang Zemin, set up a private equity fund － the Boyu Investment Advisory Co — with Louis Cheung, the former general manager of insurance giant China Ping An Group, and other financial moguls in Hong Kong. The star combination of the joint venture has attracted a great deal of attention within the industry. Jiang is the first director, according to company information, reports Aboluowang, an overseas news site concentrating on China affairs.

Jiang Zhicheng, born in 1986, is the son of the vice dean of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Jiang Mianheng, Jiang Zemin's eldest son. It was reported that Jiang Zhicheng had little hair on his head as a child and was given the nickname "Feather Head." Photos of him as a child contrasted with pictures of his illustrious grandfather have become a popular internet meme of late.

Jiang Zhicheng was admitted to Shanghai Jiaotong University before later studying economics at Harvard. After graduation, he worked at the direct investment arm of Goldman Sachs.

Hong Kong business magnate Li Ka-shing has also got involved with the fund through the Li Ka Shing Foundation, which has been confirmed by a spokesman, according to the local Apple Daily.

Boyu registered capital of 1 million shares with a face value of HK$1 (US$0.13) per share. The company intends to acquire US$1 billion in the market.

Wu Ji, director of the Space Center of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, said that when Jiang Zhicheng was in elementary school, he was very fond of astronomy. As his grandfather could not answer the questions asked by his young grandson, the president invited an old fellow of the National Astronomical Observatory to his home to field his questions in person.

Another story was told by the late Russian president Boris Yeltsin, who once recalled that during a meeting with the Chinese president, his grandson suddenly called to ask a math question. Jiang promptly broke off his conversation with the Russian leader and answered his grandson's question in detail, thus revealing himself to be a true loving grandpa — as well as a wily politician.　

Lenovo CEO on track to defend title as highest-paid executive

Lenovo CEO Yang Yuanqing
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Yang Yuanqing of Chinese PC maker Lenovo is likely to once again be named the highest-paid CEO in China, on track to earn US$14.2 million this year, according to the company's annual fiscal report.

The Chinese version of Forbes magazine also named Yang the highest-earning senior executive at a listed company in the country last year, when he earned US$11.8 million. That figure was already eight times that of the next highest-paid executive, Ma Mingzhe, then-chairman of Ping An Insurance. Yang's earnings have since increased by 20%.

The Lenovo CEO's earnings include base salary of US$1.07 million, a US$5.16-million performance bonus, a long-term incentive plan worth US$7.75 million, as well as US$107,000 in retirement funds and US$117,000 of other benefits, as of March this year.

The biggest increase has been in his performance bonus, as Lenovo's sales have leapt 37% to US$29.6 billion. The PC maker's net profits reached US$470 million and increased 73% last year. Its market share also went up 12%, meaning the company has replaced Dell as the world's second-largest PC maker, after Hewlett-Packard.

Lenovo saw its best-ever performance in terms of market share and earnings last fiscal year, after Yang took the helm in November. The company was the fastest-growing PC maker over the past ten quarters, and is is now the top-selling computer brand in emerging markets.

Yang said Lenovo will this year focus on new products such as smartphones, tablet computers and smart TVs, as well as consumer markets and small and medium size enterprises overseas.

Japanese reporter beaten by Chinese police at Nantong protest

A Japanese reporter was surrounded and beaten by over a dozen policemen when he was covering the protest in Nantong.
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Atsushi Okudera, the correspondent of Tokyo-based Asahi Shimbun's Shanghai Bureau, was beaten by the Chinese police when covering a protest launched by the citizens of Nantong, Jiangsu province, against a branch of a Japanese firm on July 28 for emitting toxins into the waters of the city of Qidong, reports the Japan News Network.

Okudera was surrounded by 15 to 20 Chinese police when he was reporting the suppression against the protesters launched by the local authority. The police took away his camera first and beat him after he claimed himself to be a reporter from Japan. He was hit in the head, forced to the ground and aggressively restrained. His press card was confiscated by the police.

Asahi Shimbun sent protest to the Chinese government and demanded it to return the personal property of Atsushi Okudera. "We cannot excuse it because it is extremely malicious, obstructive behavior against the reporter's legitimate work to report the news," said Tsutomu Watanabe, Asahi Shimbun's international news editor. "We have filed complaints with the Chinese government and demand an apology and the returning of his camera and press ID."

While Atsushi Okudera urged the Chinese government to take step to prevent such incidents from happening again, the Japanese consulate in Shanghai on July 28 also confirmed the story to be true. It stated that it will send protest to the local Chinese authority as well find a way to get Atsushi Okudera's camera and press ID back.

China's economy expected to pick up in H2

China could return to its projected 8% growth mark as promising signs arise in the second quarter
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China's economic growth has bottomed out and will pick up in the second half of this year with government monetary and fiscal support as well as improvements in the world economy, experts said.

There are signs that the economy is stabilizing, said Zhang Liqun, a researcher from the Development Research Center of the State Council, or China's cabinet.

Europe's sovereign debt crisis is unlikely to spread further and the world economy will hold steady in the second half, allowing China to maintain a 14% annual growth in exports this year, Zhang said.
The projected exports growth is higher than the 9.2% year-on-year increase recorded in the first half of this year.

Dwindling orders from Europe and other trade partners have sapped China's exports and, combined with a cooling property sector, slowed the country's growth rate to 7.6% in the second quarter, the lowest level since the first quarter of 2009.

Zhang estimated that China's growth will stay between 7 and 8% in the second half and post an annual rate of 7.5 to 8%.

Chen Wei, a macroeconomic analyst from China Minzu Securities, agreed that the global economy will weigh less on China in the second half as the eurozone debt woes were unlikely to deteriorate and the US economy will gradually recover.

He expected the country's investment growth to gain pace due to monetary loosening and fiscal stimulus, while anticipating a renewed interest in the property market in the second half that will increase local government revenues and boost their funding for projects.

China's property market has shown signs of rebounding, with more major cities seeing home prices hikes from May, according to official data. June was the first month since September 2011 that the number of cities with month-on-month price increases exceeded the number of cities that experienced drops.

China has adopted a string of pro-growth measures, including cutting interest rates and bank reserve requirement ratios, fast-tracking investment plans to spur growth and subsidizing the purchase of energy-

Housing market recovering on solid demand in Zhuhai

People look at a real estate project in Zhuhai
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Zhuhai in southern China's Guangdong province has recently been mocked for having the shortest-lived real estate market relaxation measures, which were scrapped just hours after being announced by the city government. However, the solid demand for property has enabled transactions to recover steadily, although the harsh "double-control measures" have dampened speculative property investments.

Taking cue from the central government's market cooling policy, Zhuhai municipal officials imposed double restrictions on both prices and purchases in November 2011.

The measures limit the average apartment price at 11,285 yuan yuan (US$1,767) per square meter and allow only local residents and nonresidents who have paid taxes and social insurance policies in Zhuhai for at least one year to purchase no more than one extra housing unit in the designated downtown Xiangzhou district..

The measures suddenly froze property transactions and sent developers into panic who stopped bidding for public land parcels released by the authorities.

The Housing, Urban-Rural Planning and Development Bureau of the Zhuhai city government made a decision on July 13 to ease the restrictions on consideration that both the property prices and speculations on the market have been placed under control. But the decision was rescinded immediately for further "refining."

Recovering

Yet the real estate market in Zhuhai has actually started recovering mainly because of strong demand, reports Time Weekly.

A senior official at Xiangzhou district acknowledged that the control measures started last November sent the market in Zhuhai into a tailspin with only 230 housing deals reached in January, down by more than 40% from last October.

But the deals stopped falling in February and recovered to 359 homes in March and returned to the pre-control levels in May.

Property developers said there is always a solid and "inelastic demand" for housing units in Zhuhai, which is located in the thriving Pearl River Delta of Guangdong and close to both Macau and Hong Kong.

Buyers stayed on the sideline in the first few months to study the government policy and possible market changes. But they decide to move into the market now on new signals brought by the central bank's recent credit-easing policy.

Price and purchasing controls have no significant impact on people who have real need for apartments or office premises while they can easily qualify for buy one extra unit, said the developers.

'Limited limitations'

Market analysts said there are only "limited limitations" on real estate developers because they have worked out ways to circumvent the curbs. Developers have found a loophole that the government's control measures do no specify what type of houses fall under the policy.

Some developers now sign two contracts with one buyer. The first one carries the price for a newly constructed "skeletal apartment" that is still unlivable because it has only the preliminary structure of rough walls and partitions. Unfinished and unfurnished, the homes fall under the stated price ceiling.

But the two sides also ink also a second contract with a higher price on the understanding that the eventual property price will be much higher once the home is completed, said analysts.

Oil & gas may be the next big thing

Oil and gas could be the next big thing for stock market players, in the remaing five months of the year, after the influential research firm, CIMB Investment Research said that a number of oil and gas companies were poised to register record earnings this year.

In a report late last week, CIMB Research said oil and gas companies such as Dialog Group Bhd, Perisai Petroleum Bhd, SapuraKencana Petroleum Bhd, Wah Seong Corp Bhd and Bumi Armada Bhd are expected to post their record high earnings this year.

Much of the research house optimism is tied to Petroliam Nasional Bhd's (Petronas) plan to boost output by developing new and marginal fields.

As early as last month, Petronas had announced that it plans to invest up to RM300 billion over the next five years, or up to RM60 billion a year, to develop new fields, and initiatives to develop marginal fields.
This is higher than the RM34.9 billion it invested during the financial year ended March 31, 2011.

Thus far this year, collectively the major publicly traded oil and gas companies have marginally out performed the key index.

Oil and gas counters on the average have appreciated by seven per cent this year, on a weighted average basis as opposed to the 6.8 per cent jump for the local bourse.

Fernandes makes a splash in his new home

Tan Sri Tony Fernandes has touched down in Indonesia. The chief executive and founder of AirAsia Group, a leading low-cost carrier, recently relocated to Jakarta.

He has arrived to help AirAsia expand its footprint throughout Indonesia.

"This is a very proud moment for me, I love Indonesia," Fernandes said.

"There is so much to see in Indonesia and so much to do. So much culture and so much art."

He said he moved into a neighborhood in Central Jakarta last week and took an office in the capital this week.
Fernandes said he is very excited to live and work in Indonesia and is optimistic about Indonesia's potential.

He added that he believed the country was "an important market for us in the future."

AirAsia announced in June that it would open a strategic planning centre in Indonesia.

It is looking to take advantage of Jakarta's role hosting the Association of Southeast Asian Nations secretariat.

With the open skies agreement looming in 2015, Indonesia makes strategic sense as a base for a carrier with regional aspirations.

To help grow AirAsia's domestic footprint, it announced the purchase of Batavia Air on Thursday.

With its new acquisition in place, Fernandes plans to devote himself to expansion of the local business.

Expanding Indonesia's tourism industry is on his agenda, Fernandes said, as well as supporting Indonesian businesses by providing cheap airline services

Pilot dies in air crash

Firemen examining the wreckage of a Cessna light aircraft piloted by Singaporean Samuel Ling Shi Min that crashed in an oil palm plantation in Kampung Parit Puasa, Ayer Baloi, Pontian, yesterday.

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A 25-year-old Singaporean trainee pilot was killed after his Cessna light aircraft crashed in an oil palm plantation in Kampung Parit Puasa, Ayer Baloi here yesterday.

Samuel Ling Shi Min left the Sultan Ismail International Airport in Senai at 12.30pm.

Ling is training with the FRAS Flying Club based in Senai for a pilot licence and was believed to have encountered difficulties at 1.30pm.

His aircraft was seen spinning several times before nosediving to the ground.

It is learnt that although trainee pilots are required to be accompanied by instructors while flying, Ling was flying alone.

However, trainees who have clocked certain flying hours are allowed to fly solo.

The matter will be investigated by the Department of Civil Aviation (DCA), which is expected to arrive at the crash site today.

Pontian deputy police chief Deputy Superintendent Tan Moh Chuan said they were notified by the villagers at 2.10pm and relayed the information to the Pontian Fire and Rescue Department which sent two teams to the site.

He said the victim's body was sent to Pontian Hospital for a post-mortem at 4.30pm

Tan said the crash site would be cordoned off while awaiting the arrival of the DCA team.

Mohamad Safian Buang, 15, from Kampung Parit Puasa, said he was at home when he saw the aircraft flying low at 1.30pm.

He said he saw the aircraft spinning downwards towards the plantation 100m from his house.

Safian said he knew the aircraft had crashed after he heard a loud booming sound like firecrackers.

He said he got to the site at 1.45pm and saw white smoke covering the crash site, but there was no fire.

"I went closer and saw a horrific sight of the pilot with his head cleaved into two, pinned underneath the wreckage. I felt sick and left to tell the villagers to alert the authorities."